The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“I knew it was going to be the stoutest competition I’d seen”
It’s been quite the summer for Crested Butte trail runner Marshall Thomson, highlighted with a second-place finish at the XTERRA trail running nationals in Ogden, Utah on Sunday, September 23.
It all started back in the middle of April when Thomson opened his XTERRA trail running season by winning the Cheyenne Mountain trail run in Colorado Springs.
He followed that two weeks later with a win in the Collegiate Peaks Trail Run 50-kilometer race, setting a new course record time of six hours, 35 minutes and 28 seconds.
He continued on a tear, racking up wins in two more XTERRA events, winning the Leadville Trail Marathon, winning and setting a new course record in the Aspen Backcountry Marathon as well as cracking four hours to place fourth at the prestigious Pikes Peak Marathon.
“That went really well,” says Thomson. “The field was stacked and I was shooting to break four hours. I felt awesome the whole time.”
Two weeks ago Thomson lined up for the US Track and Field 25-kilometer state championships and took second place.
Thomson even survived a lightning strike at Hartman Rocks in July.
“I was riding with Stevie and we got caught in this crazy thunderstorm,” explains Thomson. “We were flying back to the car and started to get zapped. It felt like our hands were getting shocked through our handlebars. There was a big strike and I was just flying through the air. You could smell smoke and I just picked up the pieces, dusted myself off and chased her back to the car.”
Fortunately, Thomson escaped injury and continued to light up the trail running circuit.
“If anything, it made me faster because every time it looks like rain, I start running faster,” quips Thomson.
About the only thing holding Thomson back is time management. Amidst all of his races, Thomson is working, often leaving at 11 p.m. the night before a race, driving to the race and catching an hour of sleep in the car before lining up for the next event.
“I don’t think I budget my time well enough to do as good as I could,” admits Thomson. “For the most part it’s been good. Could be a little better but it could be worse.”
Thomson had his biggest challenge ahead of him at the XTERRA national championships though with the top trail runners in the nation showing up.
“I knew it was going to be the stoutest competition I’d seen,” says Thomson.
First and foremost, there was Max King and Thomson admits that with King in the race, first place was pretty much out of the question.
“Max King is a world-class sprinter fast on any flats or slight downhills,” says Thomson.
Thomson focused on feeling strong the whole race, no matter where he finished.
“I wanted to feel good mainly,” says Thomson. “If you come in 10th place and feel good, it’s a good race.”
Thomson made a point of keeping King in his sights, though, and did have a plan for the course, which he knew nothing about.
“I just tried to hang with him and make up time on the climbs,” says Thomson.
Thomson and King traded off in the lead through the first five miles with Thomson in front for most of the time and King right on his heels. When the course pulled out of the trees and onto a flat section, King made his move.
“I knew right then, he was gone,” says Thomson. “He pretty much blew by me. I ran faster than I’ve ever run trying to keep up. It kinda hurt.”
The course then jacked up for the biggest climb of the race and Thomson started to feel it from the push he made on the flat section.
“That climb ended up being kind of painful,” admits Thomson.
Nevertheless, despite other runners closing in on Thomson, he managed to rebuild his gap on the subsequent climbs to finish in second place with a time of one hour, 23 minutes and 48 seconds and take home $600 in prize money.
Next weekend, Thomson plans to return to the XTERRA fold for the first race of the 2012/2013 series season, the XTERRA Marathon of Trail Races in Colorado Springs.
Then, in November, Thomson joins an American team to compete in an inaugural multi-sport race in Brazil, put on by Outside Magazine.
“It could be cool. I’ve never been to Brazil,” says Thomson.
Following that, Thomson will then try to work out if he can make it to the XTERRA trail running world championships in Oahu, Hawaii on December 2.
“I’d really like to go to worlds but it really comes down to if I can pull off both trips,” says Thomson. “If we win in Brazil then I’ll definitely go to worlds, because then I can pay for it.”
